About Me and This Tank (TLDR at bottom)
So a few years ago (about 4) my family and I were getting cichlids for my little brother's bow-front from this little shop that our uncle recommended. Keep note that the closest thing Ive ever seen close to a reef tank was a shark-filled-false-coral tank at Seaworld. As soon as I stepped into those doors I was greeted by a 32 gal Biocube. As fast as a blink of an eye I was hooked, not just by the clownfish playing around in a foot long circumference of a bubbletip anemone, but as to what I noticed as those alien like creatures that I have roughly known as coral from the books in the elementary library (I was a big reader). I was mesmerized by the beauty of a 30 gallon box of water to the point where my parents had to pull me away from the dang thing. Naturally I was pissed and refused to leave the thing. But my parents told me to check something out. I round the corner see a room full of frag tanks, my jaw dropped. That day was the day that I owned my first reef tank. We got a Fluval Spec 5 gal, some live rock, live sand, a small strip light, a clown goby, a firefish, a 6 lined wrasse, and some zoanthids as well as a paly. I had that tank for about three years until we moved and things went down from there, I had my first algae bloom and the tank went out with a boom, everything dead except for a GBG as well as my blue coral banded shrimp (that I still have today lol). I was devastated. Even though I didnt know what I was doing I knew I was on fire, I mean, I had some pretty cool corals as well as a dragonface puffer (that somehow lived about 6 months but sadly died to my firefish -big meany) and on top of that I never did a single waterchange! After that I had nothing but an algae filled tank for about a year.
That brings me to where I am now! Last year for my birthday my parents got me a Fluval Evo 13. BIG learning curve. I had constant algae blooms and the seams even busted. But luckily that gave mw a clean slate-- the best of the slates! I started doing hardcore researching on reefing, and I mean hardcore, as In staying up til 3 AM on school nights (still a strait-A student!) watching videos and browsing forms, until I had a rough Idea of how to properly care for the delicate, money draining art forms we call reef tanks.
As of today I have my Fluval evo 13.5 that only houses about five corals, sad I know but its hard when the closest LFS from where I live as 45 minutes away (an hour if you count Austin traffic). I have also recently bought an AI Prime HD that I got with lawn mowing money😄! Im still learning but since i've been doing water changes algae is at a minimum, only a few spots. Tommoro I will try to add pictures but thanks if you've made it this far through my story. I look forward to adding pics soon!
TLDR; I have been reefing since a young age and I have a Fluval evo 13.5, but srsly this doesn't do my story any justice just read the above lol

Hi all!
I had a large tropical tank (4x2x2) for a number of years but had to sell it all when I moved from a Country Town to an Apartment in the City.
Since then I have been dying to get back into Fish keeping and finally cracked over the weekend, got myself a little Fluval Evo 13.5g!!
So far I have not done much to the tank, I have 4kg (8.8lbs) of Live Rock and Red Sea Live Reef Sand.
I added a Fluval CP1 Powerhead (1000 lph / 285 gph) and a Aqua One 55 watt heater.
My partner and I are very keen on 2x Ocellaris Clownfish, and a Royal Gramma Basslet.
As for Coral, I have always wanted something colorful that flows back and forth in the current, that is about the only criteria.
If the tank can support those then we are very very happy Fish keepers
Tank has been running for 2 days now!
I am still waiting for my API Saltwater Test Kit and Refractometer to arrive, hopefully in the next couple days, then I can start tracking the water parameters and see how the Cycling goes.
Questions
Is the Protein Skimmer required? I was going to wait until I purchased the Fish / Coral before buying it but have read it may not be needed.
I am concerned the Fluval CP1 Powerhead does not put out enough flow, I don't feel like the current is very strong. I am considering a more powerful one however I don't want the fish to struggle, is there a recommended turnover?
I am struggling to get the temperature of the water below 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit), which I believe is far too hot. It is not a malfunctioning heater, just simply a hot house (typically around 24-25 inside). Any tips on how to bring the Water Temperature down to a level that will be comfortable for Coral and Fish? I've read that it could be the Fluval Evo's pump generating the additional few degrees of heat.
Thanks for any help! Very excited to get all of this started

Anyone know what this could be? It looks like some kind of shrimp and I see 4 of them in my tank. They are super small and I first noticed them months ago when I would turn off all my pumps and they would just be floating on the surface until I poked at them. I do have a cleaner shrimp in my tank but I’m not sure if these could be the babies or something else. Hope it’s not a bunch of mantis shrimp.

Started﻿ this tank March 4, 2018.
Equipment:
-water pump upgraded to AQ600 (doubled flow to ~160 GPH)
-50W heater
-light upgraded to Current Orbit IC LED LOOP system (21 Watts, 36 LEDS)
Stock:
~3.5 lbs of live rock
-Clown ﻿
-CUC of 4 hermits
-GSP
-mushroom
-Zoa’s
-devils hand leather
-supplemental phytoplankton
-found what looks like a tulip anemone wondering if I should get rid of it asap
Filter:
-sponge filter
-Phosgaurd﻿
-activated carbon
-ceramic filter rings ﻿﻿﻿
﻿
Notes:
-Experimenting with cheato in the display, because it’s a small system with no fuge I thought if I could keep it contained it may act as a nutrient sink.
-20-50% water changes weekly
-Want an anemone, not sure what kind, wondering if I’ll need a wavemaker before I can keep one healthy
-temp stays around 78-79, salinity 1.024, I have yet to get a test kit (next on the list), but water changes seem to keep everything running smoothly so far.
-New light made a huge difference in pics
-pics are from March 4-August 6, 2018
-Any advice is appreciated

Hello all of Nano-Reef! The name is reefsenpai and I’m going to build the most beautiful Nano reef I can in my Fluval 13.5.
I started the hobby with this AIO tank and really quickly upgraded to a Reefer 350. I definitely bit off more than I could chew and drifted away from the hobby but now the flame is back. Driven with the ideals of a small but full reef, I aim to make something beautiful.
With this go-around, I’m taking the reefing golden rule to heart and be A LOT more patient. Please join and guide me on this journey. This is what I have so far:
Tank: Fluval Evo 13.5
Lighting: Stock (AI Prime HD Upgrade)
Heater: Cobalt Neo-Therm 100w
Return: Ehiem CompactON 1000
Wavemaker: Hydor Koralia Nano 240
Filtration: InTank Chamber One Media Basket w/ filter pads, chemipure blue nano, and seachem matrix
Skimmer: None (Reef Glass Nano Skimmer)
ATO: None (AutoAqua Smart ATO Micro )

Was it a bad idea that I added a Halloween hermit to my evo 13.5 tank? He is the only crab in the tank. I have a small few snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, and 1 citrinis clown goby plus some soft corals. I did put some empty shells in the tank. Here is a picture of the guy and an older picture of my tank layout.

Just started a Fluval evo 13.5g. Was going to do a 3g picotope but wife wanted more than one fish. So far the tank is still using stock equipment. Have anAI prime coming in the mail tomorrow. 15lb of live sand and 14 lbs of live rock. Just waiting for the cycle to be done. Haven’t done any water test. Salinity is at 1.024. Using the Topic Marin salt.

Hello! Long time, no post.
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I've downsized my Nuvo10, which I probably never posted about, to a 2.5 gallon pico tank. It's well established and hasn't had anything real exciting in it due to a move, just a nice little condo for my inverts for the past year, plus two ugly shrooms that surviveÂ with the beta light, and a giant aptasia that I just eradicated this week (RIP) to prepare to add some corals and nems I actually like.Â
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I think the tank is about 8x8x8. It is a cheap Top Fin Retreat from PetSmart. I kept the sand from my old Nuvo10 setup and also a tiny bit of liverock from that as well. I should have my Kessil A80 here this Friday, and hope it fits. I have a fluval heater in the back sump area and occasionally use the carbon filter inserts made for the tank. I am going to "upgrade" the pump to the tiny Tunze, but not today because I haven't measured to see if it will fit. The stock pump doesn't move quite enough water and it's a little loud. It also connects to a branched cord so the light and pump are all on one AC plug, which is a nice feature for the little tank, but won't meet my needs when I put the new light on. I have no algae or other issues in the little tank.
I've had 7 and 10 gallon setups, but never anything this small. I love how easy the water changes are and the simplicity, or non-existence, of my equipment. I am looking for recommendations of inhabitants, such as nems and corals. I don't want to do any dosing, but do like sps corals, though I've never had any. Are they even possible in this type of setup? I love shrooms also and don't know if the lighting will work to support both, due to the small size of the tank. I will only be stocking super BA specimens, and obviously am in no hurry, but will keep this thread updated as I make changes.
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11 January 2018:
Upgraded to Kessil A80 light
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19 May 2018:
Upgraded tank to Fluval Spec III
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28 May 2018:
Added Kessil Spectral Controller
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30 May 2018:
Added Inkbird Temperature Controller
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09 June 2018:
Added IM Hydrofill ATO system
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Setup:
TopFin 2.5 Gallon Retreat
Fluval Spec III
Aqueon 25w submersible heater
Kessil A80 Tuna Blue light
Kessil Spectral Controller
Inkbird Temperature Controller
IM Nuvo 10 Pump (92gph) to replace stock pump
InTank Media BasketÂ
InTank Clip On Surface Skimmer on intake
IM Hydrofill ATO setup
Homemade Surface Skimmer Intake Mod
Upgrading to a tiny Tunze pump as soon as I shave off part of the housing of it to fit in the back of the tank.
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Current critters:
2xÂ 3xÂ Sexy Shrimp
1x Pom Pom Crab
2x Nassarius Snails
2x 1xÂ 0xÂ 3x Blue LegÂ Hermit Crabs (one regular, one little blue leg) Blue leg is missing/assumed deceased. He was 2 years old. RIP. Nobody local has any in stock.
Billions of spaghettiÂ worms andÂ pods running around
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Corals & Non-motile Inverts:
1x Rock Flower Anemone
2x Boring mushrooms that were on a piece of liverock. 1 purple & 1 green (Getting traded at some point due to lack of wow)
3x Acans
1x Golden Torch Coral
1x Green Goblin Acro (Probably going to be traded due to lack of wow)
1x Blue Rhodactis Mushroom
1x Green & Yellow Rhodactis Mushroom
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An order from AquaSD.com will drop in soon, including:
1x Alienware Palys
1x Strawberry Shortcake Acro
1x Rainbow Pox Discosoma Mushroom
1x Aussie Bloodshot Discosoma Mushroom
1x Aussie Yellow Eye Long Tentacle Red Gonipora
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Wish List (I would LOVE suggestions):
Beach Bum Montipora
More ultra colored RFA's
More ultra colored mushrooms
A really nice chalice or Monti Cap
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Hi
This is my very simple nano tank.
The Tank has been up for about 1.5 years. The rock and some coral is actually much older from my original tank first established in 2014. I had a larger sps/lps dominant tank but at the beginning of 2017 I moved to a smaller apartment(closer to the beach). I was hoping to revive my 50, but My wife and I also had a baby last September, so I have been selling off my higher end equipment and dumping the idea of upgrading anytime soon.
Tank is a Fluval evo 13
Filtration:
Intank media basket for chamber 1
Filter floss
Chemipure blue (changed once a month)
Seachem Matrix 250ml in a bag at the bottom of chamber 2
apporx 2.5 pounds sand about 5 pounds live rock
Circulation:
Lifeguard aquatics quietone pro 800 pump
I have no wave maker on this tank. I do not like the look of the waverers in this tank it is too big. The pump i have is rated at 240gph which is sufficient for my needs.
Lights:
Nanobox duo +m
I had a mini as well but I got a good deal from another nano box member and i find it has much better coverage on the evo than the mini. Probably over kill.
Contoller:
Apex Jr with ph probe and fish feeder

Hi Fellow Reefers!
Long time listener first time caller here... I have been reading about you guys and your awesome tanks for over a year now! I started out with an evo13.5, then upgraded to an RSM130d, then recently downgraded back to an eco13.5! My last tank was a beautiful LPS dominated tank, but life has changed recently and I had to downsize tanks to reduce the maintenance regime and not have to spend as much time tinkering.
That brings us to my current tank setup! I had never done a bare bottom tank before, and I like the idea of not having a sanded to have to vacuum all the time and I also like the clean minimalist look of it. About a month into this tank being setup now and gotta say, not sure if I could go back to having a sand bed again!
I had researched quite a bit looking for an example of a nano-tank that was nems-only, or BTA only, but couldn't find any! So I decided to go ahead and try my luck. I started with a large piece of LR from my RSM tank that had 7 BTA's on it already. Sucked out the water from that tank and tossed in the rock! So far, with me being able to focus solely on the BTA's and keep up with a good feeding schedule, they are really thriving in this smaller tank. Here is a quick equipment list:
Tank: Fluval Evo 13.5
Flow: Aquamai KPS
Pump: Stock
Light: Current Orbit Marine Pro
ATO: Tunze
Heater: Fluval 50watt
Filtration: Stock foam block with bio balls and bag of purigen
Extra Filtration: Small media reactor running carbon
Lid: DIY lid cut out of diffuser material
Livestock:
7 rainbow BTA's
2 ocellaris clowns
6 or 7 assorted snails
I had originally bought the small reactor off amazon along with a spool of LED lights with the intention of making an algae reactor... But after reading horror stories of the reactor tube cracking due to heat from lights, I have yet to pull the trigger on it... In the mean time, running carbon in the media reactor has really worked well! I have never cleaned the glass yet due to algae and my water is crystal clear! I do a 4 gal W/C every week too.
Anyways I just wanted to share what I was up to and get some of your feedback! Is there anything you see that I could improve? Are there any suggestions you guys may have? I humbly open up my n00by setup to your judgement and advice!
Thanks for looking!

I was wondering if a Royal Gramma Basslet would be okay in the Evo 12? The only other fish I currently have is a shark nose goby and I plan on purchasing a court jester goby. I’m really looking for an a more active fish other then a clown or firefish.

I have a small rimless cube tank for sale, has some scratches; cube's dimensions are ~18x18x18, not drilled, black silicone. I don't have the time to drill it and add an external overflow or as I was planning, use it as a refugium or RODI reservoir for a sytem I'm slowly putting together so letting it go. $50 local pick up in San Francisco CA.
Second is a 5 gallon Fluval SpecV peninsula style, also glass; has the stock LED light $50, also local pick up only.
I'll try to get some pictures later in the day.

So I made the biggest mistake ever, please help. It’s actually a couple of mistakes. So I recently upgraded my fluval evo 13.5 stock light to a kessil a80 tuna blue. I had no idea what settings I should do, I had the intensity at around 60% and color at 40%. Then an lfs employee said I should start at the dimmest setting and gradually go up from there but for almost a day the intensity was way up and my corals did not like it and we’re semi closed up. I then got a timer for the light that same night which works fine however I accidentally unplugged my heater and didn’t notice because it was around night time, I went to bed and woke up to the tank being at 70 degrees. I immediately turned the heater back on and added another small 10w heater to help turn the temp up faster but it took about 6 hours for the temp to go back to 78%. During the day my corals got worse and worse and now they’re completely closed up and looking horrible. My firefish was swimming really low in the afternoon then I came home from work in the evening and saw my emerald crab eating him, R.I.P. My nasaurius snail is now hanging out on top of a rock instead of in the sand bed. I’m not sure if the sandbed got really cold and affected the firefish and the nasarius snail. I’m not sure what to do now, should I just wait it out? Is the new light maybe upsetting the corals? I’m worried this mistake is now causing my tank to completely crash to the point of no return.
btw I checked all my water parameters and they’re fine
salinity: 1.024
ammonia: 0
nitrites: 0
nitrates: 5 ppm (just did a water change 2 days ago.)
ph: 7.8
phosphates: 0
calcium: 420
if you have any advice please leave a comment. And before anyone comments saying I should have a controller for everything. I’m on a college budget which is all spent on my tank. I wish I can afford all that good stuff but I’m working with what I got.
Thanks in advance!

HI all,
I was gifted a couple of Fluval Spec V tanks and I would like to make one a nano reef. I used to keep a marine tank 20+ years also with some soft coral and mushrooms. As of right now the tank is on it's first week of cycling. I'm using IO Reef Crystals, dry rock and 20 year old crushed coral. :-)
I'm using the built in filter that came with the Spec and a Finnex light (for now). I will probably replace that with a PAR38 bulb. I have a refractometer, Chemi Pureblue.
I'll probably will do software corals and zoas in this tank unless you folks think I should do something different because of the size. Suggestions for corals is greatly appreciated.
What are some other things I should get besides the following.
Marine/Reef test kits.
No skimmer - just weekly water changes (thoughts on this?)
Heater (have this already)
Water circulation pump (recommendations needed)
Lastly I just started looking at BRS 52 weeks of reefing videos. Great stuff!
Thanks.

My tank was started on 8/30/17.
I kept the stock light, filter media and pump and added Fluval's PS2 mini protein skimmer.
I used 10 pounds of Caribsea Fiji pink live reef sand and approximately 13 pounds of dry rock. Threw some fish food in there to decompose and lots of aquavitro seed to start the biofilter up and cure my rock.
After my nitrates started rising and ammonia and nitrite fell I did a large water change with seachem prime and more bacteria and added my first fish, a little ocellaris. It's been four days, he is doing great, swimming all over and eating everything put in the tank.
Excited to see how this turns out
A few more pics. I can't figure out how to take a good picture with the blue lights on on this iPhone